The Czech Republic Surpassed Turkey in Poppy Seed Exports in 2014

With a surge in exports in 2014, the Czech Republic seized control of the poppy seed market. In 2014, the Czech Republic exported 16 thousand tonnes of poppy seed totaling 71 million USD, 20% over the previous year. Its primary trading partner was Austria, where it supplied 21.5% of its total poppy seed exports in value terms, accounting for 79.3% of Austria's total imports.

From 2007 to 2014, the Czech Republic was a net exporter of poppy seed. Over this period, exports consistently exceeded imports in value terms. However, in physical terms, the difference was less pronounced.

Turkey and the Netherlands were among the other main global suppliers of poppy seed in 2014. However, the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2014 were China (+38.8% per year) and Hungary (+24.4% per year). China, by virtue of this sustained growth, was able to significantly strengthen its position in the global export structure.

In addition to Austria, the Czech Republic's top 4 trading partners in 2014 were the Russian Federation, Poland, Germany and Slovakia, with a combined 72.9% share of the Czech Republic's poppy seed exports. The share of Ukraine rose (+5.9 percentage points), while the share of the Netherlands fell sharply (-8.0 percentage points).